Review: Hinds + Twin Peaks at The Regent

Fri April 21, 2017
Sabine Bajakian (KXSC Radio)

This was my second time seeing Hinds at The Regent, but this time they were accompanied by The Memories and Twin Peaks. The show was just as good, if not better, than last time. As soon as I entered the venue and saw the big “Hinds and Twin Peaks” poster on the stage, I knew I was in for a treat.

The first band on stage was The Memories. They’re a Los Angeles based soft rock band. Some of their notable songs include, “Go Down on You” and “You Need a Big Man.” They have a gentle, soft, beautiful sound that was the perfect opening to prepare the crowd for what was to come later in the night.

After them, Hinds, full of spunk as usual, came on stage as “You Sexy Thing” by Hot Chocolate was playing. Their introduction to the crowd was Ana García Perrote playing the kazoo during their first song. It was unusual, but in a great way. It set the mood for the rest of the show.

Photo by Carl Pocket

The girls’ high-spirited performance was contagious. Their excitement to play was so evident, and the audience was just as excited to hear them. People were dancing and singing along as the girls played their hearts out. Lead guitar and vocals Carlotta Cosials’s guitar started malfunctioning, but the crowd encouraged her to keep playing. She was so into the music, that the audience didn’t even notice her guitar was practically toast.

In between songs, they stopped and said, “We can see a lot of you guys know all the words to our songs, and that makes us very happy.” They were genuinely aware of the audience and seemed very excited to see everyone there. The most memorable song, for me, was “Trippy Gum.” Carlotta was literally screaming into the microphone with all she had. They even played a new song for the crowd, which gave a little hint of what they have in the works for their next record. The song was just as good as I expected it to be.

They would stop every now and then between songs to tell the crowd short stories. They told us about how they went to Phoenix the night before with Twin Peaks and bought bamboo, and possibly an iguana. After telling us that story, they went into playing “Bamboo.”

Photo by Carl Pocket

During their performance, Cadien Lake James of Twin Peaks sat next to the drums, sporadically beating a symbol or two. For the last song of Hinds’s set, the boys from Twin Peaks joined the girls on stage with tambourines and beer. They danced and sang along to the last song. Fans even joined them on stage, and a guy with an umbrella. They played their show full of vigor and accompanied by the sounds of kazoos, raspberries, and screams.

After Hinds, Twin Peaks came on for their set. The band was full of exhilaration that was reminiscent of youthfulness. Their excitement for being on that stage was very clear in their playful and lively performance.

The crowd was so pumped for this set. People were jumping, dancing, and even crowd surfing. There was even a moment where the crowd opened a space for a mosh pit. Some memorable songs from their performance include “Making Breakfast” and “Sweet Thing.” Hinds joined Twin Peaks on stage for “Sweet Thing,” and danced along with them. The band dedicated that song to the girls of Hinds.

Speaking more specifically, I could not take my eyes off of vocalist and guitarist, Clay Frankel. Wearing an orange jumpsuit, he was full of a spirit of seduction. He jumped around and seduced his mic stand while singing vigorously into his microphone. His mannerisms and spirit on stage put a smile on my face and made me want to dance more.

The band was such a hit, that they came on and played three more encores. All three bands gave fantastic performances, and this is definitely a show I will never forget. It was a Tuesday night, but everyone in that room was ready to rock.